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In another of the many likely future dystopias courtesy Hollywood, humanity is trashed by the difference in social classes and dull-witted tyranny.

In “Elysium”, director Neill Blomkamp’s second science fiction film set in dusty, underprivileged locales, humanity’s threats have moved up the primordial ladder from shrimp-like aliens of his previous film “District 9”. The villains today are humans themselves – the ones rolling in cash and corporate influence. I mean, why have war-mongering aliens, when we can fit the bill nicely, right? Mr. Blomkamp thinks so – at times quite blatantly.

The difference between the moneyed and the money-stricken is as visually literal as heaven and hell: the destitute live in an overpopulated ecological disaster that’s future-Los Angeles (though it can pass be any other place on Earth), while the rich are settled away in Elysium – a wheel-like space station that looks like Mercedez-Benz’s logo from space, while inside, it is a cross between a rough matte-painting and an overly sterilized Malibu California.

A scene from movie, "Elysium". - Courtesy Photo

The well-off also have a wondrous medicine-machine called Med-Bays – human scanners that cure everything from cancer to the common cold, in less time than it takes to brew a mug of coffee. Obviously (even as the climax contradicts it), the Med-Bays are out of the common man’s reach, so something needs to be done about the situation.

Be in no doubt: “Elysium” is pretty ham-handed with its social commentary about humanity’s lack of humanism, clash of classes and society, and a “presumed” blockbuster’s tendency to have insipid action sequences (a classic dystopian cyberpunk element gets lost somewhere in between). Not everything gels within the story’s structure.

Most of “Elysium” centers on Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) an ex-con on parole who works at a military arms supply company called Armadyne Corp. In a string of episodes, Max gets radiation poisoning (he has five days to live), is infused with a clunky (and cheap looking) strength-boosting mechanized exoskeleton, has corporate secrets lodged in his brain, and tries to smuggle away to Elysium for a Med-Bay session.

A scene from movie, "Elysium". - Courtesy Photo

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Rogue flights are shot down by Jessica Delacourt (Ms. Foster), Elysium’s Secretary of Defense who secretly wants to overthrow President Patel (Farhan Tahir).

“Elysium” is a could-have-been film: It could have been absorbing, grander and original in its execution. Instead it just moseys around, wasting important screen-time on valueless plot-points and villainy copy-pasted out of a B-science fiction movie. Mr. Blomkamp’s screenplay – or the film’s run-of-the-mill, low-budget-looking, production design by Philip Ivey – mangles whatever creative potential “Elysium” has into a hodgepodge of seen-it-all-before story resolves. There is nothing inspirational about Max’s against-the-clock run to save himself, or the plight of the film’s side characters (Diego Luna plays Julio his friend; Alice Braga is Frey Santiago, a long, lost love interest whose daughter suffers from leukemia).

Even the bad guys are badly setup. Ms. Foster plays Delacourt like a drab emotionless villainess, chowing down her scenes without self-conviction. Her hit-man for hire Kruger, played by Sharlto Copley, simply lacks credibility. When Kruger becomes a gung-ho out-of-his-mind psycho terrorist aboard “Elysium” near the climax, one begins to wonders: “just what was Mr. Blomkamp thinking?”

A scene from movie, "Elysium". - Courtesy Photo

Mr. Damon, who often plays intelligent action heroes, then has to shoulder most of “Elysium’s” drive and acceptability (or whatever of it the film has left after its first twenty minutes). His Max is a transparent character, who like a decent number of roles in Mr. Damon’s resume, has the inherent tendency to side-step and merge within the narratives’ overall ambiance – which becomes overly slapdash with every minute of its running time.

At times one genuinely feels for Mr. Damon. He is running a one-man marathon, where even the sole-runner places second.

Released by Tristar Pictures, “Elysium” is rated PG-13 featuring the usual apocalyptic (or is it post-apocalyptic?) violence and death.

Directed and Written by Neill Blomkamp; Produced by Bill Block, Mr. Blomkamp and Simon Kinberg; Cinematography by Trent Opaloch; Edited by Julian Clarke and Lee Smith; Production design by Philip Ivey and Music by Ryan Amon.

Comments (6) Closed

Based on the review, the author of the article didn't understand the movie at all.

Elysium is a triumph. It is both a comment on today's widening gap between the have and have nots and it is also an homage to the post apocalyptic films of the late 1960's and early 1970's. The characters seem familiar and cliche as they were intended to all along.

Central to the theme is Max's refusal to die. He enters into each of the seemingly disjointed encounters simply to achieve his singular purpose: his own survival, nothing else. He is willing to cast everything else aside to live, which is what makes his final choice so poignant.

Set design on the two worlds illustrates the stark contrast. The harsh polluted dead world of Earth and the lush green artificial world of Elysium. The mortal world where disease and death are painful and common against the artificial liesure realm of the immortal and perfect gods in the sky. Which is what makes Krugers rebellion is so very fitting. Kruger has tired of working and dying and being reborn only to be cast aside by the gods of Elysium, when the whim takes them. He sees a chance to rid himself of his own chains and to become a god himself. As the gods have become complacent, only Max stands in the way.

Lastly, we get to Max, who represents all that we are. Selfish and small, just trying to make a place for ourselves in this world, but the world seems to turn against us. He gets singled out, his arm broken by the robopolice, eight months added to his parole because he cracked a joke, docked half a days pay and nearly fired because he was injured by the authorities and eventually is again threatened with losing his job if he doesn't place his life in danger ( which results in a lethal dose of radiation requiring the trip to Elysium ), all while being told he should count himself grateful for all that he has.

The true genius of Elysium is making the viewer believe that this is a science fiction movie. It's not. It's a mirror held up to today's world. For some, that harsh reality is just too much to look at directly.

Recommend0

ITA

Dec 02, 2013 08:31pm

@David Sanna:
I completely agree with your analysis. It is a great movie with a very powerful message.

Recommend0

Kari

Dec 02, 2013 11:23pm

@David Sanna:
You pointed out all the things that are just touched upon in the movie and never really grasp those concepts or elaborate them. By the end it turned out as just another half baked action movie. Where it could have been something better.

Recommend0

irfan baloch

Dec 03, 2013 01:24am

Elysium is only shown and mentioned as a passing reference although its the very title of the movie
I wanted to see more of it. not just the indoors that could pass for any earth based structure.

the main antagonist is superbly played just like a true South African Dutch mercenaries are famous for, killing is fun for them.
movie is ok